This invention relates generally to the field of solution and fluid treatment devices, primarily to aqueous solution and water treatment, devices for gases and industrial fluids and other aqueous liquids, which modify the components of the gas or aqueous liquid solution passed through them. In its more particular aspects, the invention relates to the field of such devices that reduce chemical and microbiological contaminants, including toxic metals and water treatment chemicals, bacteria and viruses and their components, contained in water or aqueous solutions.
Purification or filtration of water or other aqueous solutions is necessary for many applications, from the provision of safe or potable drinking water to biotechnology applications including fermentation processing and separation of components from biological fluids, and to industrial processes that require waste stream treatment and recovery of process chemicals. Similarly, the removal of contaminants from fluids used in medical procedures and semiconductor fabrication processes, where ultrapurified fluids are required, and in environments where the fluids will be recirculated, such as aircraft or spacecraft, is also an important application for filtration and fluid treatment materials. In recent years, the need for water filtration and purification in the home has become more recognized, and the competing concerns of energy efficiency and residential fluid quality have lead to numerous filtration products, that purport to remove small particles, allergens, microorganisms, intentionally introduced biotoxins, pesticides, and toxic metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic.
There are many well-known methods currently used for water purification, such as reverse osmosis, distillation, ion-exchange, chemical adsorption, coagulation, and filtering or retention. Particle filtration may be completed through the use of membranes or layers of granular materials. Other fluid purification techniques involve chemical introduction which alters the state or chemical identity of the contaminant. Examples of chemical additives include oxidizing agents, flocculating agents, and precipitation agents.
In many fluid purification applications a combination of techniques are required in order to completely purify fluids, such as water. Combinations of technologies may be implemented by combining functions in a single device or using several different devices and technologies in series where each performs a distinct function. Examples of this practice include the use of mixed ion-exchange resins that remove both negative and positively charged chemical species and oxidation/filtration methods where oxidizers are used to generate particulate matter that may be subsequently filtered.
Many of these fluid purification technologies, techniques, and practices are costly, energy inefficient and/or require significant technical know-how and sophistication to implement on both large and small scales. As a result, many advanced fluid purification technologies have had limited application in residential point of entry (POE) and point of use (POU) applications.
Unfortunately, currently available low cost, simple techniques and inexpensive devices fabricated for residential POU/POE markets do not adequately meet the contaminant removal levels required by regulatory agencies. For example, simple sink POU water purification devices containing activated carbon or portable units for campers and hikers can not remove microorganisms or chemical toxins such as heavy metals to regulatory levels.
Technologies and devices that are inexpensive for continual use on an annual basis, simple to operate, contain low concentrations of safe chemicals, and are highly efficient at removing both microbiological and chemical impurities have numerous applications if they can be developed. In particular, technologies and devices with these characteristics have application in potable water treatment, cooling water treatment, and in the fields of semiconductor fabrication and manipulation, mining, biotechnology, healthcare, and the food and beverage industries. Such technologies and devices would also be useful in the processing of fluids in many industries where fluids require recycling or reuse. Furthermore these technologies and devices would be invaluable reclamation tools for recovering chemical constituents from known environmental waste sites such as abandon mines and super-fund locations.
In the treatment of many fluids the surface properties of the filtration media are manipulated to best suit the contaminant or fluid component targeted. Surface properties of both organic and inorganic materials are a: function of the chemical composition of the material and processing methods used to manipulate the material. Surface properties can be tuned to be ion or molecule specific or generated to interact with a broad range of different chemical and biological species.
There is much prior art in the fields of isolating natural materials and synthesizing materials with useful surface properties. Surface properties can include a range of electric charge from positive through neutral to negative, with a number of different surface active chemical species. As example carbon is known to interact differently with many chemical compounds based on the carbon source and the processing methods used to xe2x80x9cactivatexe2x80x9d the carbon. As further example, synthetic materials know as ionic exchange resins can be manufactured to contain a range of positive or negative charged surface components. The composition of the resin and the specific identity of the surface component determine the applicability of the material for different treatment processes.
Surfaces may be modified by heat treatment, chemical action, biological action, and/or a combination thereof. Examples include calcining clay materials, steam and heat activating carbon materials, and using chemical reagents to temporarily or permanently attach many different molecules to the surface. Examples of the latter include biological compounds such as proteins and peptides, pharmaceutical compounds, and molecules carrying electrical charges for the direct interaction with chemicals, cells, microorganisms or for the purpose of controlling electrical charge buildup.
Specifically, it has been recognized in the art of surface treatment that charged surfaces can control the interaction with chemical and biological contaminants. Examples include the use of positive charged surfaces to remove negatively charged fluid contaminants including toxic metals such as arsenic, anions that contribute to the total dissolved solid content of water including sulfates and chlorides, and microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, and the components of microorganisms.
There is much existing art involving the treatment of material surfaces to modify surface function. This art includes that which has been developed in the field of paper science, fiber processing, air filtration, and surface protection. Still further the modification of medical devices with surface coatings to improve biocompatibility is an active area of research.
However there is little known art in the surface treatment of materials used for composite formation in the field of fluid purification where composites which may or may not contain binder materials are fabricated from inexpensive fluid treatment materials.
As a result there are no known commercially available or other fluid purification devices incorporating composites composed of fluid treatment media such as carbon, metal phosphates, metal oxides, reduced metals, silicates, metal sulfates, metal carbonates, silicates, metal hydroxides, or combinations thereof, in loose particulate or fiber form or with material binders, which have been modified by chemical surface treatments.
Further, there have been no known prior descriptions of processes to prepare composite fluid purification materials and devices that contain composites carrying surface treatments. Furthermore there are no known composites such as those described that can perform both chemical reactions and chemical and biological contaminant removal at the levels described.
Accordingly, there remains a need in this art for an uncomplicated, safe, and inexpensive fluid purification and filtration method and devices that can provide the ability to simultaneously decrease the concentration of both chemical and microbiological species. More specifically there is an urgent need for inexpensive technology that can meet the requirements of national and global regulatory agencies.
Additionally, a simple means for incorporating surface treated fluid treatment materials such as carbon, metal phosphates, metal oxides, reduced metals, silicates, metal sulfates, metal carbonates, silicates, metal hydroxides, or combinations thereof obtained from natural and synthetic materials and in some cases associated binders into inexpensive fluid treatment devices is highly desired.
It is the intention of this invention and art to use composite preparations incorporating both simple and complex mixtures of surface treated fluid treatment medias such as carbon, metal phosphates, metal oxides, reduced metals, silicates, metal sulfates, metal carbonates, silicates, metal hydroxides, or combinations thereof, to generate a practical fluid purification technology, filtration devices, and techniques. It is a further intention of this invention to permit fabrication of these composites by use of materials in forms which are readily available and commonly found naturally or synthesized by a variety of different methods.
There is also a need in the art for a method and devices that simultaneously meet the minimum regulatory safety requirements for fluid treatment devices as well as heavy metal reduction requirements, such that the device is more than suitable for consumer and industry point-of-use applications.
To this end, the present inventor has discovered that a significant problem in the treatment of fluids for the removal of chemical and biological contaminants, and other nuisance species present in fluid streams is that materials that can prepared in simple and complex composites with a variety of different surface treatments, which improve their utility have yet to be described. Development of composite technology which can simultaneously reduce both chemical and microbiological contaminants to regulatory levels established by agencies such as the US EPA and the WHO is highly desired.
In the review of prior art some of which is described by WaterVisions Int. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,192 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,016, and which is incorporated herein in its entirety, the surface function of materials used in the described art is limited to the innate characteristics of the materials used to fabricate the composites. In this invention the innate characteristics of the materials used to fabricate the composites are modified by a surface treatment process using commercially available surface treatment reagents. This additional processing step increases the numbers and types of composite interaction sites available for contaminant removal. In cases where porous containers or composite binders are used these materials may also be surface modified. Furthermore the invention provides for the fabrication of composites where all materials are surface treated before fabrication.
Further, the present invention provides a method for fabricating composite materials containing inexpensive surface treated solids originating from natural sources or synthetic sources or a combination thereof which are capable of performing both oxidative and reductive chemical reactions in fluid treatment applications. In addition, it provides a method for combining materials that have been surface treated with those that have not been surface treated.
The composites of the invention address a gap in currently available technology and serve to meet the unique contaminant reduction needs of consumers in residential settings and increasingly the requirements of many industrial, military, and government institutions.
Additionally, it has been recognized that improvements in the efficiency of the composites that contain surface treated materials may be obtained by using a material binder which may or may not be surface treated. Fluid treatment devices generated with materials in loose form are compromised by channeling and by-pass effects caused by the pressure of fluid, in particular, water and aqueous solutions, flowing through the filter media as well as particle erosion and aggregation. Because contaminants such as toxic compounds, heavy metals, and microorganisms and their components are converted and/or removed by intimate contact with the composite material, even relatively small channels or pathways in granular compositions formed over time by water pressure, water flow, particle erosion, or particle aggregation are easily sufficient to allow passage of untreated contaminants through the device.
One method of this invention solves these problems by providing a composite material containing surface treated materials, devices, and methods for contaminant removal by preparing complex mixtures of fluid treatment carbon, metal phosphates, metal oxides, reduced metals, silicates, metal sulfates, metal carbonates, silicates, metal hydroxides, or combinations thereof, with a binder material which may also be modified by a surface treatment reagent to form a porous filter material that eliminates channeling and contaminant agent by-pass. Furthermore, surface modification of the binder provides the possibility for decreasing hydrophobicity of some binders and improving water contact and in some cases flow through the composite. The binder may obtain surface modification by treatment prior to composite fabrication.
This invention is in general a device and method for the purification and filtration of fluids, in particular aqueous fluids (such as drinking water or swimming or bathing water), or other aqueous solutions (such as fermentation broths, solutions used in cell culture, and in biotechnology applications), or gases and mixtures of gases such as breathable air, found in clean rooms, hospitals, diving equipment homes, aircraft, or spacecraft, and gases used to sparge, purge, or remove particulate matter from surfaces. It may be used as a pretreatment device for subsequent filtration techniques which include membrane treatment, coagulation, flocculation, precipitation, and ion exchange processes which are commonly used in many industries including those which generate potable water, process semiconductor material, are used in medical product manufacture, process industrial fluids, and which address environmental contamination.
The use of the device and method of the invention results in the removal of an extremely high percentage of contaminants, and fluid treatment chemicals such as chlorine compounds and microorganisms. In particular, the use of the device and method of the invention results in purification of water to a level that meets EPA, WHO, and NSF standards for designation as a water treatment device.
In one embodiment, the invention relates to a composite fluid treatment material that contains fluid treatment carbon, metal phosphates, metal oxides, reduced metals, silicates, metal sulfates, metal carbonates, silicates, metal hydroxides, or combinations thereof in particulate or fiber forms or mixtures thereof. Typically, at least a portion of these minerals are in the from of calcium phosphate including monocalcium, dicalcium, and tricalcium forms, iron oxides and phosphates and hydroxides, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfates, and various metal silicates, and has been obtained from natural sources, e.g., mining, natural material processing, or from synthetic sources such as the mixing of chemicals containing the individual elements including calcium, phosphate, iron, and carbonate, sulfate, and silicate. The carbon is typically activated with known processes and in some cases reduced metals may be present. The various composites generated from these minerals and elements are contained in a porous vessel and allows fluid to pass therethrough. In this embodiment the surfaces of the composite materials are modified with surface reactive compounds. As example, silane and siloxane containing compounds are capable of attaching many different polar, charged, and polymeric precursor chemical functionalities to a surface. This treatment process may be used before or after addition of the filtration materials to a porous container. If surface reactive agents are used to modify the filtration materials after addition to a porous container, then the container may also be surface treated. The extent of this treatment depends upon the material composition of the container and the surface treatment reagent used.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a composite fluid treatment material that contains fluid treatment carbon, metal phosphates, metal oxides, reduced metals, silicates, metal sulfates, metal carbonates, silicates, metal hydroxides, or combinations thereof, is in the form of a porous block as the result of the presence of a binder. Typically, at least a portion of these minerals are in the from of calcium phosphate including monocalcium, dicalcium, and tricalcium forms, iron oxides, phosphates, and hydroxides, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfates, and various metal silicates, and has been obtained from natural sources, e.g., mining, natural material processing, or from synthetic sources such as the mixing of chemicals containing the individual elements including calcium, phosphate, iron, and carbonate, sulfate, and silicate. The carbon is typically activated with known processes and some reduced metal may be present. Also typically, the binder is a polymeric or oligomeric material that is capable of maintaining the particulate minerals and carbon in a porous structure. This allows the fluid treatment composite material to be molded or pressed into any desired shape, e.g., a shape suitable for inclusion into the housing of a filtration device, which provides for fluid inflow and outflow, and which filtration device has one or more chambers for contact of the fluid with the purification material. Such a device forms another embodiment of the invention. In addition to maintaining the minerals and carbon particles immobilized in a unitary block, the polymeric binder also provides desirable physical characteristics to the filter material, e.g., rendering it rigid or flexible, depending upon the type and amount of polymeric binder used. In this embodiment the surfaces of the composite materials are modified with surface reactive compounds. As example, silane and siloxane containing compounds are capable of attaching many different polar, charged, and polymeric precursor chemical functionalities to a surface. This treatment process may be used before or after the filtration materials are immobilized by use of a binder. If surface reactive agents are used to modify the filtration materials after processing with a binder, then the binder may also be surface treated. The extent of this treatment depends upon the composition of the binder and the surface treatment reagent used. In this embodiment the composite material binder may also be surface modified before combination with the filtration material.
In one embodiment, the invention relates to a fluid treatment material that contains fluid treatment carbon, metal phosphates, metal oxides, reduced metals, silicates, metal sulfates, metal carbonates, silicates, metal hydroxides, or combinations thereof in particulate or fiber forms or mixtures thereof. Typically, at least a portion of these minerals are in the from of aluminum oxide, iron oxides, titanium oxide, iron metal, silicon dioxide and carbon, trace elements such as manganese oxides, and the minerals have been obtained from natural sources, e.g., mining, or from synthetic sources such as the mixing of chemicals containing aluminum, iron, silicon, manganese, titanium, or combinations thereof. The carbon is typically activated with known processes and reduced metal may be present. The various composites generated from these minerals and elements are contained in a porous vessel and allows fluid to pass therethrough. In this embodiment the surfaces of the composite materials are modified with surface reactive compounds. As example, silane and siloxane containing compounds are capable of attaching many different polar, charged, and polymeric precursor chemical functionalities to a surface. This treatment process may be used before or after addition of the filtration materials to a porous container. If surface reactive agents are used to modify the filtration materials after addition to a porous container, then the container may also be surface treated. The extent of this treatment depends upon the material composition of the container and the surface treatment reagent used.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a fluid treatment material that contains fluid treatment carbon, metal phosphates, metal oxides, reduced metals, silicates, metal sulfates, metal carbonates, silicates, metal hydroxides, or combinations thereof that is in the form of a porous block as the result of the presence of a binder. Typically, at least a portion of these minerals are in the from of aluminum oxide, iron oxides, titanium oxide, silicon dioxide and carbon, trace elements such as manganese oxides, and the minerals have been obtained from natural sources, e.g., mining, or from synthetic sources such as the mixing of chemicals containing aluminum, iron, silicon, manganese, titanium, or combinations thereof. The carbon is typically activated with known processes and reduced metal may be present. Also typically, the binder is a polymeric or oligomeric material that is capable of maintaining the particulate minerals and carbon in a block structure. This allows the treatment material to be molded or pressed into any desired shape, e.g., a shape suitable for inclusion into the housing of a filtration device, which provides for fluid inflow and outflow, and which filtration device has one or more chambers for contact of the fluid with the purification material. Such a device forms another embodiment of the invention. In addition to maintaining the mineral and carbon particles immobilized in a unitary block, the polymeric binder also provides desirable physical characteristics to the filter material, e.g., rendering it rigid or flexible, depending upon the type and amount of polymeric binder used. In this embodiment the surfaces of the composite materials are modified with surface reactive compounds. As example, silane and siloxane containing compounds are capable of attaching many different polar, charged, and polymeric precursor chemical functionalities to a surface. This treatment process may be used before or after the filtration materials are immobilized by use of a binder. If surface reactive agents are used to modify the filtration materials after processing with a binder, then the binder may also be surface treated. The extent of this treatment depends upon the composition of the binder and the surface treatment reagent used. In this embodiment the composite material binder may also be surface modified before combination with the filtration material.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a fluid treatment material that contains fluid treatment carbon and metal oxides. Typically, at least a portion of these metal oxides are in the form of silica or silica containing minerals and have been obtained from natural sources, e.g., mining, or from synthetic sources such as the mixing of chemicals containing metal oxides. The carbon is typically activated with known processes and some reduced metal may be present. The various composites generated from these materials are contained in a porous vessel and allows fluid to pass therethrough. In this embodiment the surfaces of the composite materials are modified with surface reactive compounds. As example, silane and siloxane containing compounds are capable of attaching many different polar, charged, and polymeric precursor chemical functionalities to a surface. This treatment process may be used before or after addition of the filtration materials to a porous container. If surface reactive agents are used to modify the filtration materials after addition to a porous container, then the container may also be surface treated. The extent of this treatment depends upon the material composition of the container and the surface treatment reagent used.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a fluid treatment material that contains fluid treatment carbon and metal oxides. Typically, at least a portion of these metal oxides are in the form of silica or silica containing minerals and have been obtained from natural sources, e.g., mining, or from synthetic sources such as the mixing of chemicals containing metal oxides. The carbon is typically activated with known processes and reduced metals may be present. Also typically, the binder is a polymeric or oligomeric material that is capable of maintaining the particulate minerals and carbon in a block structure. This allows the treatment material to be molded or pressed into any desired shape, e.g., a shape suitable for inclusion into the housing of a filtration device, which provides for fluid inflow and outflow, and which filtration device has one or more chambers for contact of the fluid with the purification material. Such a device forms another embodiment of the invention. In addition to maintaining the mineral and carbon particles immobilized in a unitary block, the polymeric binder also provides desirable physical characteristics to the filter material, e.g., rendering it rigid or flexible, depending upon the type and amount of polymeric binder used. In this embodiment the surfaces of the composite materials are modified with surface reactive compounds. As example, silane and siloxane containing compounds are capable of attaching many different polar, charged, and polymeric precursor chemical functionalities to a surface. This treatment process may be used before or after the filtration materials are immobilized by use of a binder. If surface reactive agents are used to modify the filtration materials after processing with a binder, then the binder may also be surface treated. The extent of this treatment depends upon the composition of the binder and the surface treatment reagent used. In this embodiment the composite material binder may also be surface modified before combination with the filtration material.
In one embodiment, the invention relates to a fluid treatment material that contains silicon oxide containing materials. Typically, at least a portion of these silicon oxides are in the form of glass or quartz. These minerals can be prepared from virgin materials or may have been obtained from recycling and reclamation efforts. Reduced metal may be present, and lower concentrations of other metal oxides that are used in the fabrication of the glass may be present. The various composites generated from these materials are contained in a porous vessel and allows fluid to pass therethrough. In this embodiment the surfaces of the composite materials are modified with surface reactive compounds. As example, silane and siloxane containing compounds are capable of attaching many different polar, charged, and polymeric precursor chemical functionalities to a surface. This treatment process may be used before or after addition of the filtration materials to a porous container. If surface reactive agents are used to modify the filtration materials after addition to a porous container, then the container may also be surface treated. The extent of this treatment depends upon the material composition of the container and the surface treatment reagent used.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a fluid treatment material that contains silicon oxide containing materials. Typically, at least a portion of these silicon oxides are in the form of glass or quartz. These minerals can be prepared from virgin materials or may have been obtained from recycling and reclamation efforts. Reduced metal may be present, and lower concentrations of other metal oxides that are used in the fabrication of the glass may be present. Also typically, the binder is a polymeric or oligomeric material that is capable of maintaining the particulate, fiber, or combination thereof in a block structure. This allows the treatment material to be molded or pressed into any desired shape, e.g., a shape suitable for inclusion into the housing of a filtration device, which provides for fluid inflow and outflow, and which filtration device has one or more chambers for contact of the fluid with the purification material. Such a device forms another embodiment of the invention. In addition to maintaining the mineral and carbon particles immobilized in a unitary block, the polymeric binder also provides desirable physical characteristics to the filter material, e.g., rendering it rigid or flexible, depending upon the type and amount of polymeric binder used. In this embodiment the surfaces of the composite materials are modified with surface reactive compounds. As example, silane and siloxane containing compounds are capable of attaching many different polar, charged, and polymeric precursor chemical functionalities to a surface. This treatment process may be used before or after the filtration materials are immobilized by use of a binder. If surface reactive agents are used to modify the filtration materials after processing with a binder, then the binder may also be surface treated. The extent of this treatment depends upon the composition of the binder and the surface treatment reagent used. In this embodiment the composite material binder may also be surface modified before combination with the filtration material.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a purification material for fluids that is in the form of a sheet or membrane, containing the particulate or fiber minerals including fluid treatment carbon, metal phosphates, metal oxides, reduced metals, silicates, metal sulfates, metal carbonates, silicates, metal hydroxides, or combinations thereof and carbon and immobilized with a binder. In this embodiment the surfaces of the composite materials are modified with surface treatment chemicals such as polymers containing electrical charges or reactive compounds such as silanes or siloxanes that are capable of attaching many different chemical functionalities to a surface before or after addition of the filtration materials are immobilized by use of a binder. If surface reactive agents are used to modify the filtration materials after processing with a binder, then the binder may also be surface treated. The extent of this treatment depends upon the composition of the binder and the surface treatment reagent used. In this embodiment the composite material binder may also be surface modified before combination with the filtration material.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a purification material for fluids that is in the form of a block, sheet or membrane, containing the particulate minerals including fluid treatment carbon, metal phosphates, metal oxides, reduced metals, silicates, metal sulfates, metal carbonates, silicates, metal hydroxides, or combinations thereof and carbon and immobilized with a pressure-technique that uses fluid-swellable materials. In this embodiment the surfaces of the composite materials are modified with surface reactive compounds. As example, silane and siloxane containing compounds are capable of attaching many different polar, charged, and polymeric precursor chemical functionalities to a surface. This treatment process may be used before or after the filtration materials are immobilized by use of a binder. If surface reactive agents are used to modify the filtration materials after processing with a binder, then the binder may also be surface treated. The extent of this treatment depends upon the composition of the binder and the surface treatment reagent used. In this embodiment the composite material binder may also be surface modified before combination with the filtration material.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a purification material for fluids that is in the form of a block, sheet or membrane, containing the particulate minerals including fluid treatment carbon, metal phosphates, metal oxides, reduced metals, silicates, metal sulfates, metal carbonates, silicates, metal hydroxides, or combinations thereof and particulate, fiber, wire, or combinations thereof of copper and copper alloys (eg. brass) or iron and iron alloys or a combination thereof and immobilized with either a thermoplastic binder or with a pressure-technique that uses as example a fluid-swellable material. In this embodiment the surfaces of the composite materials are modified with surface reactive compounds. As example, silane and siloxane containing compounds are capable of attaching many different polar, charged, and polymeric precursor chemical functionalities to a surface. This treatment process may be used before or after the filtration materials are immobilized by use of a binder. If surface reactive agents are used to modify the filtration materials after processing with a binder, then the binder may also be surface treated. The extent of this treatment depends upon the composition of the binder and the surface treatment reagent used. In this embodiment the composite material binder may also be surface modified before combination with the filtration material.
The invention also relates to methods of filtering fluids, such as water, aqueous solutions, and gases, to convert/reduce a large proportion of one or more types of chemical species contained therein, by contacting the fluid with the purification material of the invention. In a particular aspect of this embodiment of the invention, this contacting occurs within the device described above, with the unfiltered fluid flowing through an inlet, contacting the purification material in one or more chambers, and the filtered fluid flowing out of the chamber through an outlet.
The purification material of the invention can be used to purify drinking water, to purify water used for recreational purposes, such as in swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas, to purify process water, e.g. water used in cooling towers, to purify aqueous solutions, including but not limited to, fermentation broths and cell culture solutions (e.g., for solution recycling in fermentation or other biotechnology processes) and aqueous fluids used in surgical procedures for recycle or reuse, and to purify gases and mixtures of gases such as breathable air, for example, air used to ventilate hospital or industrial clean rooms, air used in diving equipment, or air that is recycled, e.g., in airplanes or spacecraft, and gases used to sparge, purge or remove volatile or particulate matter from surfaces, containers, or vessels. The purification material of the invention has the additional advantage of making use of readily available mineral materials, including those obtained from natural or recycled sources, readily available surface treatment chemicals, while still maintaining high purification efficiency.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the composites of the invention are used to treat fluids prior to treatment with membrane, coagulation, precipitation, flocculation, or ion-exchange fluid treatment techniques or methods.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the material of the invention, namely minerals and optionally other adsorptive and buffering materials in a binder matrix and formed into a block or sheet and surface modified by surface reactive reagents, can be used as a medium for converting chemical species used in biotechnology applications such as fermentation processes and cell culture and in semiconductor operations. In this embodiment, biological process fluids, such as nutrient broths, substrate solutions, and the like, are passed through the treatment material of the invention in a manner that allows the fluids to come into contact with the chemical species immobilized therein (eg. enzymes), and effluent removed from the material and further processed as needed.